Today’s blog comes to us from my friend and stewardship mentor Steve Stroope as an excerpt from his book, Money Matters in Church: A Practical Guide for Leaders. Steve is lead pastor of the multi-campus Lake Pointe Church near Dallas, Texas. Under his leadership, the congregation has grown from 57 members in 1980 to a current attendance of more than 11,000. Steve will be joining me as a speaker at the Church Systems Check-Up and Boot Camp this summer (see the PS for more details).
By Steve Stroope
Pastors must know and be able to communicate to their congregation a theology of financial stewardship. Developing and knowing what the Bible teaches on this topic isn’t enough. Church leaders must communicate that knowledge to their people, so all can apply its truth to their lives.
After you have developed your theology of financial stewardship, it will serve as a rich reservoir for communicating vital financial truth to your people.
When we refer to communicating the theology, we are referring primarily to the church’s preaching and teaching ministry. The pastor is responsible to see that this communication takes place. However, this teaching must not end with him. The pastor is also responsible to see that others in the ministry communicate these truths as well. This would include those on pastoral staff, any governing board, and the church’s lay leadership, especially its teachers.
This assumes that all are in basic agreement with the pastor’s theology of finances. It’s futile to expect that all will agree on every point, but it is important that all agree on what is prescriptive and clearly mandated by the Bible, such as the remuneration of pastors, generous giving, and so on. Since the pastor is the primary leader of the church and its key teacher, we believe that others leaders should defer to him and his direction for the church.
There are two basic ways to communicate your theology of finances. The first is informally. In informal conversation you can tell others what you believe. This is an effective way of communicating truth and may make more of an impression than the same message given in a more formal spoken or written format.
There are times, however, when formal communication is necessary. Formal settings in which you can communicate to the church the theology of financial stewardship include sermons, Sunday school or adult Bible fellowships (ABFs), small groups, new member classes, counseling sessions, workshops, seminars, town hall meetings, letters from the pastor, and church newsletters.
Excerpt from Money Matters in Church: A Practical Guide for Leaders by Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Stroope
P.S. – 
Meet Steve at Boot Camp!
Focus: Stewardship
He’ll be one of the keynote speakers at the three-day Church Systems Check-up & Boot Camp at Walt Disney World, Orlando. Steve will share his expertise in stewardship with practical and impactful next steps you can take to grow your ministry.
Time is running out to save big with the Super Early Bird Rate! Join me, Steve, Dr. Gary McIntosh and Kerrick Thomas for the all-new 2015 Church Systems Check-up and Boot Camp, July 22-24 at Disney World, Orlando. This year’s key theme is one of the most highly requested – STEWARDSHIP. You will discover how each of the 8 systems can raise the level of stewardship in your church. Plus, drill down on ALL 8 Systems of a healthy church with practical strategies you and your team can take back and start implementing right away!
Last Chance for Early Bird Rate – Register Now and Save $300.00! Will Sell Out – Over 80% Full!
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